Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



T. L. STURTEVANT. Breech-Loading Fire-Arm.

Patented Sept. 19, 1865.

I mam,

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS L. STURTEVANT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,048, dated September19, 1865.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. STURTE- VANT, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare thesame to be fully described in the following specification andrepresented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is alongitudinal section of a firearm providcdwith my invention, the barrelin such section being exhibited as at its lowest position relatively tothe stationary breech. Fig. 2 is another longitudinal section, showingthe barrel elevated readyfor reception of a cartridge, which while beinginserted in the barrel is to enter it at its rear end, which is open.These tigures also exhibit the operative mechanism or parts 'in theirrespective positions assumed by them, when the barrel is either up ordown, relatively to the breech.

The nature of my invention consists in a combination for elevating thebarrel and operating the cartridge-shell discharger thereof.

In the drawings, A denotes the barrel, and B the stock, of the lire-arm,such barrel being held to the stock by a hinge-joint, a, such as willenable the barrel to be moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 intothat represented in Fig. 2, the rear end of the barrel in the one casebeing against and so as to be closed by the front face of a stationarybreech or abutment, 0. In the other case the rear end of the barrel isshown as elevated above such abutment and open to allow the expulsion ofa cartridge-shell from and the reception of a fresh cartridge into thebarrel.

For elevating the barrel I make use of a lever, D, which turns on afulcrum, b, extendin g transverselythrough the stock. Thelonger arm, (I,of the lever answers as a guard for the trigger a of the lock. Theshorter arm, 0, while the lever is in the act of being moved in onedirection on its fulcrum, is to act against the barrel so as to pry orforce it upward in a manner to elevate the rear end of the barrel abovethe breech O.

A cam or curved projection, f, extends downward from the barrel, and isformed and arranged thereon as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This projectionor cam not only facilitates the elevation of the barrel, butsubsequently serves, with the lever, to retain or hold the barrel at theextreme of its elevation. The projection also affords a convenient meansfor the connection ot' the stirrup g of a spring, E, with the barrel,such spring being arranged within and fixed to the stock, and to operateso as to depress the rear part of the barrel while the longer arm of thelever may be in the act of being pulled rearward.

A slide or cartridge-shell discharger, F, ar ranged with respect to thebarrel in manner as represented in the drawings, and so applied to thebarrel as to be capable of being moved longitudinally thereof, has aspring, h, for drawing it into place. It also has a cammed stud, t,projecting down from it. There is a small lever or latch, 70, arrangedwithin the upper arm of the lever D,.and having its tail or lower arm torest against a spring, l, the fulcrum of the said latch being shown at min the drawings. During a forward movement of the longer arm of thelever D the latch, by its action against the cammed stud, will force thediseharger F rearward beyond the barrel, so as to expel a cartridge orwaste shell thereof from the barrel, in case such a cartridge or shellmay be in place therein. A continuation of the movement of the leverwill also cause the latch to pass ed the front end of the stud, so as toallow the discharger to be drawn back to place by the contractile powerof the spring it. While the lower arm of the lever D is in the act ofbeing retracted the barrel will be depressed into place against thebreech U, and the latch will be borne back against the cammed stud andwill pass by and beyond it, ready for acting against during thesucceeding movement of the lever.

I claim- The combination for elevating the barrel and operating thecartridge-shell discharger, in manner as described, the same consistingof the lever D, the spring h, the stud 1 and the spring-latch k, thewhole being arranged together substantially as set forth.

